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New Southgate
The New Southgate Millennium Green was one of the later Greens, started towards the end of the creation period, from 1998-2000. New Southgate is one of the few that are fully urban, being in London, next to a busy road and an industrial estate. New Southgate is, like most urban Greens, quite small, at 0.6 Hectares/1.4 Acres. History Before the Green The land had been used for housing, shops and a workshop until local redevelopment took place in the 70's . Plans to build on the land never came to fruition at that time. The land was flattened and seeded with grass, then a few trees were planted in corners. It was owned by the council and regularly mown, but otherwise ignored by both the authorities and the public alike. From then it had been left for around 20 years. Creation The local council sent a survey out to local people asking them what they wanted the land to be used for and over 70% said they wanted it to remain green. A council officer then set out to ensure that the local people got their wish, by contacting the local community association and, with their support, an application was made to the Countryside Commission to create a Millennium Green. Council officers and staff created the plans for the Green, in conjunction with the Trust that was formed and including public consultation. The Millennium Feature The designer of the Green ran a design competition for scuptors to create a sculpture which was interactive and followed the theme of a boat, to commemorate the book Three Men in a Boat, written by Jerome K Jerome, who once lived in New Southgate. The final design was chosen from a short-list of five and £5 thousand was set asside for the sculpture. The sculpture was designed to have lighting on the 5- metre mast, though funding was used elsewhere, so as of 2012, this has not happened. The back of the boat is open to allow wheelchair access, although the cobbles do not make this very realistic. The concrete slabs which comprise the sides of the boat have the shapes of 3's imbedded in them representing the three men in the boat. On the opening day, there was a miniature play where professional actors re-enacted a scene from the book, complete with period clothing and a dog. The deputy mayor of London, Niki Gavron, broke a bottle of champagne across the bow to officially open the Green. Other Features The Green is a mix of more community features, such as paths, a paved area, a sculpture etc., along with more country features, such as uncut grassland and small copses of trees. Dog mosaic Continuing the theme of Three Men in a Boat, Montmorency, the dog from the book is commemorated by a mosaic of a dog's head, which was set in the ground in 2012. Events & Publicity Events From the very first event, in November 1999, when volunteers planted the boundary hedge around the Green, through the opening event in 2000, to the summer fairs held on the Green, there have always been events held on the Green, created or supported by the Trust. The local council has often been involved, with sports events and a Festival in 2011. Tree Planting From the very first year, trees are always planted during National Tree Planting Week and the event is always registered with the Tree Council. This has meant that the New Southgate Green was part of a world record for tree planting in 2005 and a subsequent attempt in 2010. The Paul O'Grady Television Show had a small feature on tree planting and visited New Southgate in National Tree Planting Week in 2008. Sports *The Local Council Sports Development team have run summer sport events on the Green and assisted New Southgate in creating its own, short-lived, football team. The local church ran a football tournament on the Green in 2008. *Boules is regularly played on the paved arena. *The unique game of Giant Boules is sometimes played on the Kickabout grass area. *Croquet is played on the Loveheart Field. Easter Events Most years, the Green runs an event for children, in which they have Easter Egg hunts or scrambles; Sports & games and quizzes created mainly for children. Christian Visits & Barbecues From time to time, various Christian groups have visited the Green and had barbecues , games and fun for the children. This has included three visits from the Gatlyn Ministry of the USA. Summer Fairs In the first few years of the Green, the Trust ran Summer Fairs on the Green, in which people paid to run stalls. The Trust also collected jumble and sold from their own stalls. This was discontinued after they discovered that plant stalls attracted more people and money for less effort at Capel Manor Horticultural College events. Publicity The trust have always believed that publicity is essential for the long-term survival of the Green, by involving lots of people and improving the awareness of what the Green is and the needs of the charity that runs it. The Green featured in the local papers frequently in the early days, and has had at least something in the paper most years since. The trust have had letters published and articles written, along with photos, including such notables as the deputy mayor of London, Nicki Gavron, and Education Minister Stephen Twigg, MP. Articles have been written in magazines, such as The Arboriculturalist and the Green was featured briefly in a television show, the Paul O'Grady show. The Volunteer Team and other workers Although the Green was largely created by contractors, including the creation of the paths, sculpture and noticeboard area, the Trust have created a team of volunteers that have done most of the work on the Green since 2000. The team comprises both local people and others from all around Enfield etc. Children are involved wherever practical and everyone is encouraged to learn about gardening, the environment and the Green as they go along. The Certificate of Volunteer Training Most members of the volunteer team have completed a training program created for the purpose by the Trust and run by its horticulturally trained members. Fundraising and Sponsorship Sponsorship Enfield Council was the main co-sponsor with the Countryside Agency in the initial creation of the Green. It was their staff who created the design and arranged the original contractors. After that, Homebase were continuous supporters for over 10 years, providing trees, other plants, tools etc. Various other local shops etc. have provided small gifts over the years. Other Fundraising The Trust have received donations from many local people of both money and other gifts. They also arrange fundraising events- sometimes on the Green, more often elsewhere if it seems to make more money. Links with other Millennium Greens New Southgate has tried to create links with other London Millennium Greens, including visits to Waterloo, Chadwell and Cricklewood greens. The Chair of Cricklewood came to New Southgate AGM in 2001. A volunteer from New Southgate created this Wiki. The same volunteer wrote most of the Wikipedia page about Millennium Greens Nearest Millennium Greens *Cricklewood *Robin Hood External Links *New Southgate's Website *Charity No. 1075299 Category:Millennium Greens Category:London Greens